201 LITEEATUEE AND THE FINE AETS. 



TRAFALGAR-SQUARE, LONDON'. 



Fronting Parliament-street, in the British metropolis, is an open area, decorated 

 and environed with a variety of architectural and artistic works, which, if they 

 existed in Washington, would he pronounced by the citizens of the States the 

 eighth wonder of the world. There is the National Gallery with a handsome, if not 

 imposing facade ; Northumberland House, with its quaint Elizabethan skreen and 

 Percy Lion ; the famous Charles I. statue ; the not very famous George IV. statue ; 

 and the notorious, if not famous, Cockspur-street George III. with his redoubtable 

 pigtail ! Besides all these the lofty Nelson Column towers over the fountains and 

 all else in the Square, making a tout ensemble which anybody but John Bull would 

 find some other use for than to grumble at. What words would suffice for our 

 colonial self-laudation could we transfer the whole to displace the stumps in one of 

 our vacant Toronto "town lots." Yet since ever John Bull got it completed, he 

 has been revolving in his mind, with sufficiently audible grumbling, how it is to be 

 got rid of ; and here is the latest scheme, which we would have fancied to be one 

 of Punch's pleasantries, did it not come to us gravely authenticated by the testi- 

 mony both of the Times and Builder : — 



"Among the plan* and notices deposited at the Private Bill Office of the House 

 of Commons, for bills to be brought before the present Parliament, is one for 

 a large hotel, on the plan of the Hotel du Louvre, Rue de Rivoli, Paris, to be built 

 on the site of the National Gallery, and on the ground in the rear, now occupied by 

 St. Martin's workhouse and* the adjacent barrack-yard. The recommendation by 

 a Committee of the House of Commons of the removal of the national collection of 

 painting.? from the building, suffices in some degree to give countenance to this 

 sweeping project; though the idea generally entertained was that the whole build- 

 ing would be transferred to the Royal Academy, by whom the east wing is at pre- 

 sent occupied." 



LITERATURE AND THE FINE ARTS. 



THE CODEX VATICANUS. 



Mr. T. E. Moresby, through the Times, suggests an application to the authorities 

 at Rome for permission to have the Codex Vatican us No. 1209 photographed; a 

 mode of copying manifestly superior to all others, from its certain accuracy, being 

 equally free from the chance of errors by accident or design. "It is," he says, 

 "probably the oldest Greek MS. of the Scriptures extant. The second volume 

 contains the whole of the New Testament, with the exception of a few verses." If 

 one manuscript can be photographed successfully, and that an ancient one, nearly 

 all might ; and then learned bodies and owners of private collections of MSS. might 

 exchange copies, just as casts are now exchanged by the museums of Europe. 



BACKING AND PAINTING COLLODION OR PAPEK POSITIVES. 



Of all the forms of Photography, perhaps a good collodion positive is the 

 most pleasing : it3 softness and delicate gradation of tone far surpasses the harsh 

 outline aud metallic lustre of the Daguerreotype, or the heavy massing of light 

 and shade, ' the soot and whitewash' of a copy on paper : it is therefore of conse- 

 quence to Photographers to know the best mode and material for "backing up" in 

 order to preserve to it these peculiar excellencies. The fir6t method, as proposed 

 by Dr. Diamond, of simply placing black velvet behind the plate, leaves little to 



